[05/05/06 - 12:00 AM]Chris Young Named Winner of USA Network's Nashville Star 2006 During Season Finale

[via press release from USA]

CHRIS YOUNG NAMED WINNER OF USA NETWORK'S NASHVILLE STAR 2006 DURING SEASON FINALE

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- May 5, 2006 -- Millions of votes have been tabulated from all 50 states, and American television viewers have by chosen 20-year-old Chris Young as the fourth season winner of USA Network's NASHVILLE STAR. Chris Young's winning moment came during the season finale that aired live from Nashville's BellSouth Acuff Theatre on USA Network on Tuesday, May 2 at 10:00/9:00PM Central. Show hosts Wynonna and Cowboy Troy made the big announcement that Young won by a large margin beating out fellow finalists Casey Rivers and Nicole Jamrose to win the NASHVILLE STAR title, a Chevy Silverado SS truck, an appearance on the Grand Ole Opry and a recording contract with Sony BMG Nashville.

"I bet another contestant $20 that I wouldn't win this thing," laughs Chris. "You know, I've been singing and writing music for a long time and have been passed on by a number of labels. This is a hard business to make it in, and I'm just grateful that my fans and USA Network have given me the opportunity to show America what I've got."

Chris Young is a multi-talented 20 year-old with a flair for singing, songwriting and dancing. Chris considers himself an expert at Line Dancing and Hip-Hop. He is from Murfreesboro, TN and has a fan club of hundreds who follow him religiously across the country.

"When we first saw Chris Young in the auditions stage of the process this year, we were all struck by his vocal and songwriting talent, but he has an incredibly obvious star quality that can't be overlooked," said executive producer H.T. Owens. "The country music fans of America also realized that early as Chris was a crowd favorite from the first episode. We are proud to have Chris as our new Nashville Star and know that he's ready to take his career to the next level."

NASHVILLE STAR showed impressive growth in the fourth season with an average of 2.5 million viewers tuning in each week. Versus its season-to-date average prior to the finale, the NASHVILLE STAR finale was up 27% in total viewers and for the entire season the show saw an increase of 11% in households over the previous season.

Phone and internet voting has also reached record highs this season with a peak of 2.4 million votes cast, which is up over 36% from last season.

"Chris Young is just the newest face and voice of this growing franchise," explains Jeff Wachtel, USA's Executive Vice President, Original Programming. "This show just keeps getting bigger and attracting a wider audience due in part to this season's incredible talent pool. I wouldn't be surprised if we see several of the runners-up walk away with recording contracts as well."

For photos of NASHVILLE STAR, as well as photos from previous seasons of the show, please log on to the NBC Universal Media Village at http://www.nbcumv.com/.

NASHVILLE STAR is created by Reveille and executive produced by Ben Silverman ("The Biggest Loser," "The Office") and H.T. Owens ("The Restaurant," "30 Days"). Jeff Boggs (Late Show with David Letterman, Tom Green Show) will executive produce in association with Reveille again for the second year. The show is produced by Jon Small ("Garth Brooks Live From Central Park," "Billy Joel Live at Yankee Stadium") and his production company, Picture Vision, alongside co-executive producer Mark Koops ("The Restaurant," "Blow Out").

USA NETWORK is cable television's leading provider of original series and feature movies, sports and entertainment events, off-net television shows, and blockbuster theatrical films. The #1 basic cable network across the board in 1Q06, USA Network is seen in 90 million U.S. homes. The USA Network Web site is located at www.usanetwork.com Characters Welcome.

USA Network is a program service of NBC Universal Cable a division of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience.